this is where we usually bring you the ridiculousist. but the interview with the photographer who took the picture from the subway went long. "early start" begins right now. breaking news right now near tokyo, a powerful earthquake hit off the coast. a tsunami warning is issuedment we'll go live to japan straight ahead. plus talk about your deadlines. today we are seven days from congress going on holiday and 25 days from plunging off the edge of the fiscal cliff. the "new york post" photographer who took the picture of the man in the subway tracks before he was hit sits down to tell his side of the story. we'll hear from him this hour on cnn. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans.

>> and i'm zoraida sambolin. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. breaking new's massive earthquake in japan. it happened off the coast of japan, about 300 miles northeast of tokyo you can see on the tower cam that we are going to buildings swayed for several minutes there. let's go to alex zolbert live in tokyo what can you tell us? >> this happened friday evening b an hour and a half ago. an unnerving scene. a 7.3 magnitude earthquake. as we understand it, this came along the same fault line that triggered that massive tsunami in march of 2011. we have been watching all the local stations, trying to gather all the information we can. here's what we know at this point in terms of a tsunami. we have seen several small waves come in, about four waves. the biggest one being about one meter or about three feet.

the other waves were only about 8 to 16 inches. so no sign of a major tsunami at this point. but it is quite unnerving. there are reports of the trains stopping up there, some of the roads being closed. but in terms of injuries and in terms of deaths, we are only hearing reports of a few injuries at this time. you'll remember there was the crippled fukushima plant in between that region and where we are in tokyo according to tepco, the company that operates the nuclear plants in japan, all is fine at this hour. but we are still waiting for the all clear when it comes to the tsunami waves. we will keep watching and keep you posted. >> alex, we're looking at the camera there. it's still shaking. are those aftershocks or is that what was happening during the earthquake? >> i would say if you're looking -- i can't see the monitor at this time. this was in our office, in the cnn tokyo bureau here.

really what it is, you see that plant shaking, it doesn't look like much, but what grabs you is the noise you hear. you can hear essentially the whole building shaking. let's see if we can recue it and maybe you it take a listen. >> some people in the united states certainly know earthquakes quite well. myself, i'm relatively new to it. obviously if you haven't experienced one before, it suddenly feels like you're sea sick. this one lasted about 90 seconds, but again we're talking about a 7.3 magnitude quake. we'll keep watching for any signs of any waves coming into the tohoku region. >> have any evacuations been ordered? >> well, we've been on the phone with people up in that region, which is about 300 kilometers

north of where we are in tokyo. people, it was definitely -- definitely sent a chill through their spine. people along the coast have evacuated. we're calling, checking to see, but it appears for now everyone is okay. >> all right. alex, i know this is just happening, it's very early. you mentioned there were some roads closed, but you haven't heard anything about any injuries, right? >> we've heard just as i was coming out here to this position, i heard a report of several people being taken to the hospital with minor injuries. in terms of where we are in tokyo people are heading home. it's after 7:00 in the evening on friday and they're going about their business. early indication win, it doesn't appear to be anything major, but more waves could come in. that's what we're watching for now. >> alex, thank. two men left standing between all of us and the fiscal cliff. in 25 days america goes over the

edge. that's when severe tax hikes and cuts in spending begin. according to the "new york times," john boehner has asked democratic leaders to step aside so he and the president can attempt to negotiate a deal one-on-one and no one is objecting. paul steinhauser is live from washington. paul, you got some new polling for us. what do americans want to see in a deal? >> it's interesting what they want to see and what they don't want to see. one of the biggest sticking points between democrats and republicans over averting the fiscal cliff is raising taxes on those making over $250,000 a year. look at this from quinnipiac university, the question was asked are you okay with that? 65% say they support such a move to avert the fiscal cliff. this is the third poll over the last two weeks to show the same thing, that most americans are okay with raising those taxes on incomes over $250,000 a year. go to the next screen, there's a

partisan divide here. this explains why most republicans are dead set against this. democrats are fine with that move. independents as well. but only a minority of republicans are okay with raising taxes on those making over $250,000 a year. what don't republicans like? they are fine with cutting spending, but they don't want entitlements touched. are you okay with raising the eligibility for medicare going up from 65 to 67? 51% opposed that. >> big news yesterday coming out yesterday from senator deminut. >> this will give me the opportunity to help take our case to the american people and to translate our policies into real ideas.

>> so you think you can be more influential within the conservative movement as the leader of the heritage foundation as opposed to a united states senator? >> there's no question about it. >> wow. paul what do you make of the timing of this? he's saying he could be more effective outside the senate. >> you know, advisers to the senator told me he always said he was only going to do two terms in the senate. the thing is his second term isn't up for another four years. this timing is interesting. i guess he was quietly, obviously, making a deal with heritage to go over there. demint is somebody that we all know that was a kingmaker over the last two election cycles, a kingmaker on the tea party side. he is probably the person responsible for getting five tea party-backed members into the senate, including the most famous, marco rubio. he was backing marco rubio when established republicans were backing charlie crist. he says he can do more as an

ideas now over at heritage, the oldest think tank on the conservative side. keep your eye on the governor of south carolina, she's a republican, it's up to her to pick a replacement to serve for two years who will she pick? that's what everybody wants to know. >> all right. thanks. in egypt, opponents of president mohammed morsi are expected to take to the streets again. they were out in force last night in cairo chanting it was time for their president to resign. their anger was sparked two weeks ago when morsi granted himself sweeping powers. last night, morsi refused to rescind that decree, despite calls from proponents calling for him to do so. the photographer who took a picture of a man standing on the subway tracks as a train approached insists he was trying to alert the driver of the train. that photo make it on the front page of the "new york post" it is sparking outrage.

people are asking why the photographer did not do more to help the victim? he told anderson cooper he was too far away on the platform to do anything else. >> the only way i thought at that moment was to start clicking away, using the shutter to fire the flash and maybe -- >> you thought that might warn the conductor? >> the victim was pushed on to the tracks. he said the only thing he would have urged him to do differently is to out-run the train. seven new counts of bribery and extortion for tony mack, his brother and a business associate, they were implicated on a kickback team. the charges stem from a two-year fbi investigation. george zimmerman is suing nbc. the man charged with shooting and killing trayvon martin is

accusing the network of editing his 911 call to police to make himself sound racist. he says because three nbc employees have been fired for their role in producing that story. could kickoffs get the boot in the nfl? roger goodell saying he considered doing away with that part of the game in an effort to reduce player injuries. the league already tinkered with kickoffs, moving them up five yards which has limited kick returns. those typically frantic plays present the most injuries to players. we will talk to a linebacker about that in the next hour. and steven baldwin arrested and charged with failing to file new york state income tax returns from 2008 through 2010. he allegedly owes more than $350,000. baldwin pleaded not guilty yesterday. he claims he left his personal affairs to paid professionals while he was on an island

shooting "survivor." after heading to d.c. to ask for aid for superstorm sandy damage, chris christie explains his change of heart to president obama days after the storm and days before the presidential election. check out what he told jon stewart on "the daily show." >> people have different skill sets at different times. >> i see. so he wasn't a leader until you needed leadership. >> maybe until -- maybe until he was presented with an opportunity to lead. >> all right. >> critics call it a step towards union busting. protests against a proposed new labor law in a state known for organized labor. we are live from michigan next. and call it man versus python. the state of florida needs your help to kill thousands of

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. welcome back to "early start." michigan is at the heart of organized labor. this morning it's a giant step closer to becoming the 24th right to work state. despite angry protests at the state capital, the republican-led house and senate pushed through legislation that critics say would limit workers rights and weaken unions. the governor says he will sign a right to work bill when it hits his desk. poppy harlow is following all of this for us. what is it about this fwhbill t has protesters so unhappy? >> michigan is at the heart of the organized labor movement. what we saw was three separate bills passed late yesterday. two in the senate, one in the house. they effect both public workers and private sector workers like auto workers at ford and gm.

the core of this right to work legislation means that unions and employers cannot mandate that employees join the union or pay dues to the union. money is at the core of power in these unions. that is very, very significant. protesters here are filling the halls of the capitol yesterday trying to rush through the doors. eight arrests made. mace sprayed by police. it got very rowdy here at the capitol. i want i want you to listen to one protester. >> it terrifies me that they're trying to pass this through so quickly with no discussion from the other side. no understanding of what's important no discussion about the finer points, all the things this will effect. democracy is way too important to let it slide through like this. >> reporter: democrats are calling this a subversion of the legislative process. this did not go through committee or public debate.

the head of the united auto workers vehemently opposing here. here protesting yesterday. the governor here, the republican governor saying this is a move for workplace fairness. >> to be pro-worker, to give freedom of choice to the workplace. and that the legislators move promptly an efficiently moving it through the legislature. when it arrives on my desk i plan on signing it. >> the data and the facts from all the right work states show it's right to work for less. it's an effort by the wealthy and the right wing that they want to push workers wages and benefits down. >> reporter: the data shows, as you know, non-unionized workers typically make less than union workers. that's the big concern here. a labor lawyer telling me this is hugely symbolic and devastating for the labor movement. the governor expected to pass

legislation sometime next week. >> poppy harlow, thanks. it is 17 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to speed on today's top stories. house speaker john boehner asking democratic leaders in the house and senate to step aside so he and the president can meet one-on-one to work out a fiscal cliff compromise. that's according to the new york sometimes. the report also says everyone is on board with the idea. america goes off the fiscal cliff in 25 days triggering massive tax hikes and spending c cuts. no sign of president obama, the first lady, sash has or malia, this year it's all about bo. the card was designed by iowa artist and dog lover lorissa cable. a holiday surprise for some walmart shoppers in south florida. secret santas paid off their layaway bills. >> my layaway is paid? >> yep. the rest of your balance is paid off. >> are you serious?

>> yes, very serious. you no longer own a balance. >> tell santa thank you very much! >> an athletic club pitched in $500 which helped six families. several layaway shoppers say they wish they could meet their secret santas to give them a hug and kiss and say thank you. time for your early reads. your local news making national headlines. we begin with tacoma's news tribune which says day one of legalized marijuana was pretty chill. there were no run on doritos, increased in car wrecks, no crazy displays of joy. to florida, the sun sentinel newspaper, florida wildlife officials announcing the 2013 python challenge. it's a hunting contest that begins next month because the burmese python population is

posing a big threat. officials found a 75 found fully intact deer in the stomach of one captured last year. a grand prize of $1,500 is being offered to the hunter who kills the most pythons. just about three hours away from the november jobs report. next why stouperstorm sandy cou have an impact. copays as low ar through a preferred network pharmacy like walgreens -- where you'll find 8,000 convenient locations. best of all, this plan has the lowest part d premium in the united states -- only $15 a month. open enrollment ends december 7th. so call today or visit your local walgreens. ♪ you make me happy [ female announcer ] choose the same brand your mom trusted for you. children's tylenol, the #1 brand

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welcome back. u.s. stock futures are flat this morning after climbing higher yesterday but gains were limited because of fiscal cliff concerns. >> we'll be hearing that until it's fixed. the november jobs report is released at 8:30 a.m. eastern today. economists forecast 8% unemployment, ticking up from 7.9% in october. 77,000 jobs added which is a lot slower growth than was anticipated. you have to go back to the summer to see growth that small. it's likely that superstorm sandy skewed the numbers, perhaps dramatically. economists at deutsche bank expect only 25,000 jobs added after they studied the hurricane effe effects on jobs. it was difficult for the labor department to collect data during and after that storm.

in today's report, we'll watch four sectors hardest hit by the storm, manufacturing, retail, leisure and hospitality and temporary help industries. mark sandy said aside from the storm the job market turned in a good performance for the month. this simpreis impressive given uncertainty created by the presidential election and the fast-approaching fiscal cliff. except for sandy, jobs would have been doing better, and sandy is seen as a temporary factor. another usual factor, the layoffs and strikes from hostess. hostess filed for bankruptcy last month. want to bring you up to speed on facebook. facebook moving up. the social network will be listed on the nasdaq 100 next week and could be added to the s&p 500 very soon. shares are down nearly 30% since the ipo.

but with the market value about $60 billion, it would rank among the top 50 largest companies. one economist says the move is imminent. when it moves into an index like that, portfolio managers and fund managers buy it, because many of them have funds that track the s&p 500. >> how do you feel about that jobs report? . . >> i would like to see a triple digit number, but i don't think we'll see it because of sandy, end of the year, companies are nervous. we're watching a developing story in egypt where protests in the streets are expected against the country's president again. we are live from cairo after a quick break. and rescue. a woman saved after police say her ex-husband tried to seal her in the attic. hear what he was doing when police burst in. pact wool expos from new zealand,

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we continue to follow breaking news out of japan where a powerful earthquake hit off the coast this morning. the quake was so strong it was felt in tokyo. details straight ahead. and check out what happened when an escalator malfunctioned at a macy's department store. and one of the most anticipated boxing matchers of the year. manny pacquiao and juan manuel marquez battle it out tomorrow in vegas. this hour our own john berman sits down with manny. looking forward to that. welcome back to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm christine romans.

it's 30 minutes past the hour. updating you on breaking news, a massive earthquake rocking japan, it hit off the coast about 300 miles northeast of tokyo. rattling buidlin rattling buildings and raising the risk of a tsunami. there is no -- there is no widespread threat of a tsunami in the pacific. it is 31 minutes past the hour. we are anticipating a new swell of rage after friday pairs in egypt. opponents of president mohammed morsi are expected back on the streets. last night in cairo they called on morsi to resign saying his government lost legitimacy. opponents are angry at his degree two weeks ago where he granted himself sweeping new powers, and they don't trust a new draft constitution backed by him. in a televised speech last night, morsi defended his actions. ian lee is live in cairo this

morning. what is happening now? >> right now we're watching protesters slowly filing in to tahrir square. we expect massive demonstration today as all political forces that are opposing president mohammed morsi have called for demonstrations against the constitutional declaration and the draft constitution. continuation of the large protests that have gripped this country. >> ian, president obama actually called president morsi. what was that conversation like? what was said? >> president obama wants president morsi to open up for dialogue with opposition and to come out with some sort of agreement that both parties can move forward to. president morsi did offer to have dialogue tomorrow with opposition forces, but that the invitation was a bit vague on

who he was going to invite. opposition forces say that shows that he's not sincere in the dialogue with opposition. they also say it's not something they want. they don't want to have a dialogue. they within a the declaration, the draft constitutional declaration, both of those to be scrapped and to start over. >> the protests that are happening, do these represent the majority of egypt? is there any way to gauge that? >> it's very hard to tell where egypt lies in all of this. we've seen both sides call their supporters out into the streets. we've seen large numbers presented by both sides. the brotherhood is a bit more organized. we've seen them bus people in from around the country to their protests. but they've -- both sides have shown a lot of support. it would come down to the constitutional referendum if it does move forward to see where egypt does lie on this issue. very contentious.

egypt is deeply divided now. >> has morsi responded at all? >> well, president morsi has been very firm about everything going on. he called the protesters instigators, saying financeers are behind it he is bound to root out who they are and who is behind them. i want to point out something we have been watching. we have not really seen violence in these protests -- or deaths. we have seen violence but no deaths until the brotherhood called their supporters to go and support the president, which so happens at the same time we had anti-morsi protester s at the presidential palace. that call saw the two sides clash. that's what led to the deaths we saw the other night. so morsi -- but morsi is adamant these people -- that are in the streets against him are to the

from the revolution. they're of the old regime. this is what he said about them. >> translator: the blood that was shed during the incident in the past two days, and those who have supplied arms and money d and -- are now being called to the -- will be held to account. >> definitely president morsi taking a hard line against the people he sees as instigating the violence. >> one last question for you, ian. that is that the people get to vote on this draft constitution. why not wait for the outcome of that? >> the protesters -- the people are saying it doesn't ensure once this happens that president morsi would actually go through

with it. they don't trust him. that's what it comes down to. the protesters in the street, they say they don't trust the president. that things will move forward, if it does go through. >> angelina jolie meets with syrian refugees who just completed the dangerous crossing into jordan. jolie listened to stories of families life without electricity, food, water, safety. close to 500,000 refugees have been registered in neighboring countries. attorneys for john mcafee are fighting to keep him in guatemala to avoid his movement to belize. the case took a strange twist yesterday. >> reporter: this is where john mcafee is staying in guatemala

city, that building there. he's up on the third floor. that's really not a jail. it's a detention for illegal immigrants. they get a lot of them trying to get through to mexico and then north america. it was here this afternoon where john mcafee suffered whatever the illness was that he had. he was rushed from here in an ambulance and taken to a nearby police hospital where he was checked out for several hours. we went over. there the authorities said really it looked like he was suffering from stress and maybe was also suffering chest pains. his attorney says it was a minor heart attack. either way, he was released a couple hours later and brought back here. now the question is what happens next. we already know the president of guatemala denied asylum for john mcafee. it's possible his legal team could try for a stay or go to

the supreme court, or it's possible he is headed back to belize where authority also wait for him. a northern california man is being held without bail for allegedly holding his ex-wife prisoner in his attic. the victim says rankin sexually assaulted him over a two-week period. authorities caught rankin trying to seal off the attic with drywall with his ex-wife still inside. four people had to be taken to the hospital last night after an escalator malfunctioned at macy's store. one man suffered minor injuries. three others include two young children were also checked out. they're not sure what caused the escalator malfunction, but it is said several steps were not where they were supposed to be. can manny pacquiao help

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welcome back to "early start." tomorrow night in las vegas, boxers manny pacquiao and juan manuel marquez will brawl for the fourth time. pacquiao is a fighter by trade, but there are many sides to this champ. john berman spent time in his camp and found out what makes him tick. >> reporter: manny pacquiao has won titles in eight different weight classes. when you look at this bag, do you see marquez here? >> yeah. you imagine that is your opponent, you hit the head, hit the body. >> reporter: this will be his fourth fight against juan manuel marquez, all have been close, all have been tough victories

for pacquiao. freddy roach is pacquiao's friend and long-time trainer. a former boxer himself, he's been living with parkinson's disease for years. what's different about this fight, do you think? >> the first two fights were really competitive, compelling fights. they fought great together. in the third fight he had a lot of personal problems, we didn't fight or fight. >> reporter: one of your goals is to be more aggressive. you're looking for a knockout here. why? >> i want this fourth fight to answer all the doubts in his mind. >> reporter: do you feel there are other doubters besides him out there? >> his fans, they still claiming they won the fight. >> reporter: tom aaron has been promoting fights since the '60s. why do you think this fight is so important to manny pacquiao? >> this is the fourth fight he's had with marquez. every fight has been exciting, every fight has been a close fight.

every fight has been fought by both guys with some caution. this fight, each guy is determined to just throw caution to the winds and go after each other. >> reporter: you concerned at all he's fading? >> i think he's becoming too nice a guy. >> reporter: too nice a guy in the ring or out of the ring? >> in the ring. but i don't think he's fading yet. >> reporter: there's another boxer i want to ask you about, floyd mayweather. do you think you'll fight him? >> i'm willing. >> reporter: you're waiting for him? >> yes. >> reporter: if you had to bet a million bucks right now, would you bet on this fight happening? >> i would love it to happen. i would do anything to make it happen. i don't believe it will happen. >> everyone wants to see that fight. i want to see that fight. i want to get him ready for that fight. i want the challenge. >> reporter: pacquiao is a legend back home in the philippines. he was elected to congress there in 2010. why politics? >> i like to serve people.

i'm the one who fights human trafficking, to stop that. i know the feeling of being poor. i know the people in the philippines live in poverty and i wanted to help them. >> reporter: besides congress, you do a few other things. there's the singing. ♪ ♪ sometimes when we touch the honesty is too much ♪ >> reporter: there's the acting. >> our hero is william wallace. william wallace from scotland. >> reporter: if you're not fighting, you're not politicking, you're not in congress, you're not singing, you're not acting, what do you do for fun? >> i like sports. >> reporter: do you lose at anything? >> sometimes i lose. >> reporter: you said you think there's only one or two fights after this for manny. >> yep. >> reporter: is there a lot to of nostalgia then as you sit here training? >> it will be a sad day. but i want to see manny pacquiao go out on top. >> if manny is victorious that

will be a significant achievement for him in his career. >> i'm excited for the fight and ready. >> reporter: do you think you still have something left to prove? >> yes, i can still prove i'm still young and i can give a good fight. >> wow. what a great piece. >> are you going watch the fight? >> i think i'll try to watch. >> mgm grand garden arearena. saturday, 9:00 p.m. eastern time. >> all right. 46 minutes past the hour. time square hat naked cowboy, one town has a naked jogger, and he really s as we say, letting it all hang out. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd.

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updating breaking news from this morning, a tsunami warning issued for northeastern japan has been lifted after a massive earthquake struck off the coast, 300 miles to the northeast of tokyo. it rattled buildings there for several minutes. there were no immediate reports of deaths or serious damage. there is no widespread threat of a tsunami in the wider pacific. good news there. rob mars yoen no is ciano is li you heard about this earthquake? >> as far as the tsunami is concerned, there's a few remote sensors out there, and we have not heard more than a couple feet about the wave that

developed, that is gone. this is smaller than what happened in march of 2011. that was a mega thrust fault. this one is more of a reverse fault, so the ocean floor dives south. that's one of the reasons we didn't expect a huge tsunami. this area through here is where they saw one to five or six-foot waves. we are just waiting for reports to come in back here across the u.s., lower 48, rainfall pushing its way into the allegheny and atop the appalachians. chicago looking at a bit of rainfall there. will you break a record? talk more about that in a second. here is your front. another system moving across the pacific northwest that will bring in cooler air and tap some of the cooler stuff from canada. temperatures above average but will sink below average. 9 degrees expected in bismarck. still in the 40s by sunday in chicago.

we mention that because they are going on 277 days without measurable snowfall. the record is 280 set back in 1994. similar record for milwaukee. there's a chance over the next four, five days to see some snow. but at this point they may very well break that record. it's been a warm one. >> wow, when they do they'll get pummelled probably. house speaker john boehner asking democratic leaders to step aside so he and the president can work out a fiscal cliff compromise. the report says everyone is on board with the idea. america goes over the fiscal cliff in 25 days triggering the beginnings of massive tax hikes and spending cuts. >> two! one! >> the first family firing up the national christmas tree. the obamas pushed the button to light up the big blue spruce. some 17,000 people were on hand last night for the 90th annual

tree lighting ceremony. police in springfield, massachusetts are on the lookout for a jogger who runs in the buff. they say people on their way to work wednesday morning reported a man, probably in his 50s, running without any clothes on. no shoes either. police say they're concerned about why he's doing it and that he's reportedly done it before. a packed hour ahead on "early start," including breaking news out of japan. a tsunami warning in the same area where the big one hit as another earthquake strikes off the coast shaking buildings for minutes. it can be one of the most exciting plays in football and one of the most dangerous. could kickoffs become a thing of the past to save players a future of pain? we'll talk about that with former linebacker chris draft. and two weeks before christmas, is this portrait of christ weeping? first reporting for duty, south carolina right on cue, the twitter campaign to get steven

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welcome back. 56 minutes past the hour. i'm zoraida sambolin along with christine romans. we are looking at the top cnn trends on the web. he once ran for president of the united states of south carolina, now steven colbert for senate? with republican jim demint leaving the senate before his term is over, there is already a groundswell of support on the web for colbert to take that seat. someone already created a twitter account and scooped up the colbert for senate website. nikki haley gets to appoint someone to finish demint's term. colbert better start his

campaign. and late night goes up in smoke. clearly the hosts were high on the idea of legalizing pot last nigh night. >> marijuana became legal in the state of washington, which makes -- [ applause ] -- yeah. that makes 19 states which have now legalized marijuana. which, of course, raises the question how the hell did hostess go bankrupt? >> an entrepreneur in colorado rafted an ice cream infused with marijuana. which is why when you go to put it in the freezer it's like i'm already chill, man. >> as of today, washington state legalized both marijuana and day marriage. that's a true story. yeah. so today men all over washington

have two different reasons to say i love you, man. the grammy nominations came out, this is interesting. both michelle obama and bill clinton were nominated in the category best spoken word album. good for them. yeah. yeah. true story. michelle was nominated for the audio version of her book american grown, and bill clinton was nominated for the audio version "50 shades of gray." >> "early start" continues right now. breaking news near tokyo. a powerful earthquake hit off the coast. a tsunami warning issued. and then lifted. we go live to japan straight ahead. and the "new york post" photographer who took the picture of the man on the subway tracks before he was hit sits down to tell us his side of the story. we'll hear from him this hour. and imagine a professional football game without kickoffs. it's just one of the suggestions to improve the safety of the

game for players. details this hour on cnn. >> i'm curious as to how everybody feels about that. >> welcome to "early start." i'm christine roman by devastating tsunami that killed 15,000 people and caused widespread damage. the tsunami this time hit a place called -- or near a town

almost totally devastated in the 2011 tsunami earthquake. this time the wave was much less than the 10, 11 meter tsunami wave that hit over a year ago. the damage is significant. there have not been reports of damage or casualties at this stage. it's still a significant wave and could cause damage so the infrastructure there. it's being watched closely. >> matthew, tepco and the government trying to contain a nuclear crisis from a year and a half ago and that big earthquake. we know this morning tepco says everything is under control. there's been no residual damage. >> that's right. people in japan generally and in this area specifically are very edgy about the safety of their nuclear infrastructure. the fukushima plant back in march of 2011 melting down.

that's why the company that runs the nuclear reactors in the area, tokyo electric have been quick to issue a statement urging calm, making sure everybody understands that the reactors themselves have not been effected on this occasion by the effoarthquake and the tsunami and the work to stabilize the reactors from a year ago continues. >> thank you. it is two minutes past the hour. president obama and house speaker boehner one-on-one in the fight over the fiscal cliff. we take the plunge in 25 days now. that means devastating tax hikes and spending cuts take hold at the start of the new year. congress breaks for the holidays in seven days. but democrats and republicans may be making headway. house speaker john boehner asked democratic leaders in the house and senate to get out of the way so he and the president can negotiate a deal alone. everyone seems to be on board.

paul steinhauser is live in washington. nice to see you. new polls. what do americans want to see in a fiscal cliff deal? >> the polls are at these num, the big sticking points, should taxes be raised on those making over $250,000 a

taxes would be raised if there's no deal to avert the fiscal cliff. yesterday as you said, the president was in northern virginia meeting with a middle class family who would suffer if there was no deal. last week the president went to suburban philadelphia, to a small business again to make the point of his side in these fiscal cliff negotiations. different than a year and a half ago when the president dealt only with republicans in congress. this time he is taking the case to americans and getting outside of washington, d.c. congressional republicans not so happy that the president is

doing this. >> we understand that. paul steinhauser live in washington, thank you. let's talk more about the fiscal cliff. we have the washington correspondent for the new yorker and cnn contributor ryan lizza with us. john boehner and the president in a room, just the two of them. good idea? >> i think it is a good idea. >> if you look at the accounts of the negotiations of 2011 when you had boehner, mcconnell, nancy pelosi all in one ba bainer and the president who were on the phone meeting privately. they could go fwook their constituents and boehner could go to eric cantor and see what kind of deal they could get. but that was the dynamic that came the closest. >> they didn't have control of their parties basically right?

does john boehner have more control? >> they think obama can get anything through the house of representatives. but everything that has happened since the election all of the moves in the republican caucus have been about boehner consolidating control over that tea party caucus that didn't allow boehner to get a deal in 2011. >> there will be some criticism about it being two people at the table. will they get a deal done? >> i think there's some criticism from republicans about secret negotiations. i hate to break to to people in washington, but all negotiations over policy are secret in washington. that's how legislation gets done. you have to be in a room with negotiators to cut a deal. i wouldn't fret. >> they get criticized for not talking to each other and criticized for how to talk to

each other. king maker, leaving before his term is up. says he could be more effective outside of the senate. what are they making of this in washington? >> a lot of people say the allure of a think tank with a big salary. >> more than a senator of the united states? >> a lot of people get frustrate ed in the senate. it's difficult to advance an agenda. if you're jim demint, you want a much smaller government. as long as east been in the senate, he hasn't been able to accomplish what he wants. >> a lot of people say you have more influence from the inside than you do on the outside. it will be curious. who will they appoint? >> there are four congressman just reelected in south carolina. representative scott is african-american. that would be fascinating if she appointed the first

african-american republican senator. the party could use some diverse faces. it's a challenge for them demographically. i don't know if you can appoint yourself in south carolina, but if she wanted to be a senator, now is not a bad time. >> thank you so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. we're waiting to see what happens in the streets of egypt today. o opponents of morsi are calling on them to join a protest and are gathering in tahrir square. they were chanting it's time for their new president to resign. their anger was sparked two weeks ago when he granted himself sweeping power. he refused to rescind that decree. michigan's governor says he will sign a right to work bail. lawmakers pushed through legislation despite proposts from democrats and organized labor. it was a power play by the

republican-led legislature. >> it terrifies me they are trying to pass this through so quickly with no understanding of what's important and no discussion about the finer points and all the thing this is will affect. democracy is too important to let it slide through. >> proponents say they are not out to bust unions. just to make michigan competitive. it would be the 24th right to work state. the man charged with shooting and killing trayvon martin is suing nbc. george zimmerman accusing the network of editing his 911 call to make him sound racist. three nbc employees have been fired for their role in producing the story. there have been claims because of the actions the public wrongly believes he used a racial slur while describing martin to the police dispatcher. a woman rescued after had her ex-husband tried to seal her inside the attic.

hear what he was doing when police burst in. and is this for real? could the nfl be close to eliminating kickoffs? a former player joins us live to talk about it next. fpz time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. [ nyquil bottle ] just reading your label. wait...you relieve nasal congestion? sure don't you? [ nyquil bottle ] dude! [ female announcer ] tylenol® cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. nyquil® cold and flu doesn't.

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with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme. . welcome back to "early start." peyton manning has now won eight games. they have already clinched the afc west and are now looking for a first round playoff. a shocking murder-suicide at the hands of jovan belcher is the latest in the string of bad publicity for the nfl. and perhaps a sign of the side

effects the game can have. commissioner roger goodell opens up about some of the ways he hopes to reform the sports so it takes less of the toll on the athletes. . among the ideas, doing away with kickoffs which are seen to be one of the most dangerous elements of the game. it it has fans and professionals alike wondering what's in store for the future of football? so joining me now from atlanta is chris draft, founder of the chris draft family foundation. very nice to have you with us this morning. thank you. >> it's great to be here. >> so we know that roger goodell floated this idea when he was meeting with a "times" reporter but it first game with greg shia ya know. a team would get the ball on its own 30 yard line where it's fourth and 15. the options is to go for it or

punt. what do you think of this idea and do you think the nfl will potentially eliminate kickoffs for good? >> i don't see them getting rid of kickoffs for good, but what you see there is just thinking. thinking out loud. there has to be some changes. there have been changes. you have seen this in the past year. the kickoff was moved up five yards which has eliminated a lot of returns. it's proven toch the biggest impacts of any one play throughout the game of the nfl. so making adjustments with that or even talking about the adjustments, the nfl is looking towards player safety, they are always looking towards player safe safety. you'll always have those things come up. you're always going to have them moved up. >> i want to lab rate. there were 15 fewer concussions

during kickoffs from 2010 and 2011. do you think eliminating kickoffs is perhaps an effective way to deal with the issue of concussions? >> i think it deals a little bit with it. definitely based on the numbers, it's clear that that actually helps with it. but as a guy that played special teams throughout my career, i will say that that's a huge part of the game in terms of kickoff returns and covering kickoffs. these are huge plays that can make a difference in the game. it's an exciting play so i don't see them getting rid of it, but the adjustments have worked. >> how do you think the fans are going to react to this potential? >> i don't think anyone wants to see kickoffs eliminated. but the rules have evolved. this is just a suggestion. you're talking about a competition committee that has to put up suggestions. i think when you see this suggestion, it's about being there and somebody allowing the suggestion to come out.

there were probably a lot of other ones. it's just that greg's suggestion actually came out in "time" magazine. >> this is not a safe game. any onlooker would tell you that this is an incredibly dangerous game. now we have the proof. we have all the research that tells us that these concussions are causing these long-term effects for these athletes. so at the end of the day, are injuries even inevitable here when you start making changes like this? as a player, would you like to see changes? >> you definitely want the game to be safer. it's increasing in that -- it's moving towards that being safer. but it is football. it's a game where you run and hit people with your head and kind of knock each other around of sorts. but there's been a drastic difference from when i came in the league. i was drafted in 1998 by the chicago bears and first named up with the redskins in 2010.

i have seen a drastic change in the way that players report it. liars in that you want to be on that field. those are your teammates. i want to get back out there. what the nfl -- >> you don't want to potentially lose your spot either, right? because if you say you're euroed, like what happened to the san francisco 49ers, he's kind of out of a job. >> that's the balance. but that's why it's important that the doctors and trainers are paying attention. you have to take that away from the player. when you're talking about their health and future, you have to take away. they want to be that guy on the field, but someone has to say, no, you're not ready. that's a huge change that has happened in the last 12 years is that those doctors and trainers have stood up more. you want them to stand up a little bit more. but it's clear that player safety is paramount in the nfl

right now. >> i wish we had more time to talk about this because then there are the lawsuits and this potentially costing a lot of money. chris draft, i appreciate your time. thank you. it's 19 minutes after the hour. let's get you up to date with the top stories. both sides dropped the gloves. rejecting the latest proposal. there have been cautious optimism to the resolution to the lockout. commissioner says the league still hasn't set a date for saving the 2012-2013 season. police are holding a man without bail for allegedly keeping his ex-wife prisoner in his attic. the 29 yoorld sexually assaulted her repeatedly over a two-week period. they arrest eed him after catching him in the act of sealing off the attic with a dry wall mud while his ex-wife was still inside. >> this girl is one lucky toddler.

she was playing with her mother on a bed next to a window when she leaned against the screen and tumbled out the window falling to the ground below. amazingly she suffered only scratches and bruises. did you know that windows are the most dangerous place in a home for children. it's windows. it's not the stove or pulling the tv down. windows have the most dangerous. >> sadly, i do know that. you have to get the extra locks on the windows. new jersey governor chris christie explains his change of heart of president obama. check out what he told jon stewart on "the daily show." >> people have different skill sets at different times. >> so he wasn't a leadership until you needed leadership? >> maybe until he was presented with an opportunity? >> how much did hurricane sandy

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it's 24 minutes past the hour. stock futures are down slightly this morning after closing higher yesterday. gains were limited because of fiscal cliff concerns with no major progress out of

washington. >> we're going to get the november jobs report at 8:30 a.m. eastern this morning. a survey forecasts 8% unemployment. that would be ticking up. 77,000 jobs added. a lot slower growth we have seen for much of this year. october 171,000 jobs were added then. it's likely hurricane sandy affected these numbers. they studied after hurricane katrina and the numbers were revise revised because it was too difficult for them to collect the data during and after the storm. in today's report we'll be watching four sectors. manufacturing, retail, leisure and hospitally and temporary help industries. mark sandy said aside from the storm, the job market turned in a good performance during the

month. this is impressive given by the uncertainty of the presidential election. businesses are holding firm in their hiring and firing decisions. another unusual factor in the numbers, the layoffs and strikes at hostess. those could also affect the numbers. hostess filed for bankruptcy last month. i want to bring you up to speed on facebook moving on up. the social network will be listed oven the nasdaq 100. it could be added to the s&p 500 soon. the shares were down nearly 30% since that much-hyped ipo. market value is about $60 billion. it would rank monothe top 50 largest companies on the index. one strategist says the move is eminent. we're following breaking news. an earthquake rattles tokyo and

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. we continue to follow this breaking news. a powerful earthquake hit in japan. the details straight ahead. sglmts check out what an escalator malfunctioned. the story behind these pictures ahead. an actor is here to show off his new bionic hand. it's right out of "star wars." thank you for being here this morning. i'm zoraida sambol. updating you on breaking news. a tsunami threat has been lifted in japan after the country is rocked by a powerful 7.3

magnitude quake. the tremor hit 300 miles northeast of tokyo. it rattled buildings there jo jolting the area hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami that struck back in march of 2011. protesters are taking to the streets in egypt. last night in cairo they called on morsi to resign saying his government has lost legitimacy. they are angry at his decree where he granted himself new powers. in a speech last night, morsi defended his actions. ian lee is live in cairo. >> reporter: we have tahrir square behind me. protesters are continuing to trickle in had. it's 1:30 p.m. which is early for protests in egypt. but we're also monitoring a

prot protest that's going on that will be descended upon the presidential palace here as well. there's also protests expected all around the country. it's going to be a big day for protesting. >> the opposition says it it won't negotiate with morsi until he drops the decree. are protesters think they don't have enough support? do they think morsi is going to corrupt the process? >> reporter: protesters believe if this were to go to a referendum that they would win and this would be voted down. what protesters say is that they don't trust the president to move this process forward. if the constitution is voted down, then he will then appoint the next constitutional assembly. the opposition has said they have not been represented in the ways that they should be. they haven't had enough voice in the process. they believe it will start all

over again. >> this constitution will end as soon as we issue make public the results of the referendum. whether the referendum was yes or no. >> right there, you heard the president say that he would hand over his constitutional -- his powers he granted himself after the constitutional referendum if it's voted yes or no. still protesters say they don't trust him to do that. >> all right. ian lee, thank you. once again, today internet security john mcafee faces extradition. but in it another strange twist

in this case, he was rushed to a hospital in guatemala city yesterday just hours after officials denied his request for asylum. he was treated for cardiovascular problems. michigan is about to become a right to work state despite angry protest. the republican-led house and senate pushed through legislation that critics say would limit workers rights and weaken unions. the governor will sign a right to work bill when it hits his desk. poppy harlow is covering this story for us. >> reporter: good morning. you have to think about where we are. we are in michigan. this is a state that's really at the heart of the organized labor movement. the auto workers was born here. it's critical here. this right to work legislation would mean that in this state, unions and employers cannot mandate that employees join the union or that they pay the union

dues. that money is at the core of the power of the unions. three separate bills passed late yesterday. two in the senate, one in the house. really the same thing here. trying to make this a right to work state. it has the support of the governor. it would affect private workers, but also auto workers at ford, general motors and chrysler. this is very big. it does exclude police and firefighters. but this was passed very quickly. this did not go through a committee. it didn't go through public debate. so democrats are calling this a subversion of the legislative process. i want you to take a listen to the auto workers president who was here protesting yesterday and also the governor rick snider. >> to give freedom of choice to our workplace and the legislators prove properly and efficiently and when it arrives

on my desk, i plan on signing it. >>. the data and facts from the right to work states show it's right to work for less. it's an effort by the wealthy, by people from the right wing that they want to push wages and benefits down. >> the argument is that it makes the state more competitive and it's going to lead to more jobs, right? >> reporter: right. when you look at the data, what we know is that union workers tepid to make more. pretty significantly more than nonunion workers. a median salary for a union worker was $938 a week versus $729 for a nonunion worker. but the neighboring state of indiana recently passed this right to work legislation and the argument is being made that jobs are going to indiana. they are not coming here. in order for the jobs to be here and the states to remain competitive it has to have this legislation. all signs point that this will pass the house and the senate

here. both republican controlled and get to the governor's desk. this has huge significance and also saying to me this is devastating for the labor movement. >> all right. poppy harlow, thank you. 36 minutes past the hour. a malfunctioning escalator sent four people to the hospital. one man suffered minor injuries. three others including two 3-year-old children were also checked out as a precaution. witnesses say several of the escalator steps were not where they were supposed to be. a big stink over a dead whale. it washed up on shore. and an accident on the set left one actor thinking his career was over. instead life is great and you might see he's partly bionic. i , but i still have a runny nose. [ male announcer ] dayquil doesn't treat that. huh? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus rushes relief to all your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth!

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40 minutes past the hour. soledad o'brien joins us. >> lots happening this morning. roger goodell might do away with the football kickoff and fans are fired up about that. there are people who say that would make the game safer. but does it ruin the game? we're going to talk to coy wire. he's a nine-year nfl veteran. people of different skin colors, we meet a teacher who is trying to teach kids about colorism. todd carmichael will join us. risking his own life to make the perfect cup of coffee. that and much more this morning. >> i can't even get to the

starbucks on the corner. >> i have one in puerto rico i'd like to send him to. >> that's his passion. it's december 7th and a large part of the country still finally going to start feeling some winter cold temperatures. maybe even some snow. rob marciano joins us. >> it's been a warm year. we're trying to get a little cold air in here. we'll have some success. the rainfall we have been seeing on the radar is in the form of rain. but white mixing in. a couple frames over the last hour. you get the picture. disturbances. one moving across the great lakes. that's bringing the rain that will stretch over into philadelphia and new york and boston later on today. another one across the pacific northwest. temperatures for the most part right now at least are pretty mild. they will be dropping through the next couple days. western great lakes, temperatures will drop into the

20s, teens and maybe even single numbers like 9 degrees in bismarck. towards monday and tuesday, temperatures will get a little closer to the freezing mark. that may bring in some snow which may or may not help break a record of no snow in chicago for an extended period of time. 46 for the high in chicago. it's not terribly cold. about what you'd expect for this time of year. this year has been incredibly warm. it's the warmest first 11 months of any year on record at least. so 2011 could go down as the warmest year since 1998. that's certainly what we're on track for. speaking of the lack of snow in chicago, 277 days with no measurable snow. the record is 280. we're going to be teasing that. there's a chance for snow here over the next few days, but temperatures may not be cold enough for it to stick. so we'll keep you posted on that. then we'll start talking about

the chances for a white christmas. >> i'm headed to chicago next week. i suspect we'll have a blizzard. >> there you go. >> i'm going to chicago too. we'll be snowed in. it is 44 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date on the top stories. an apology from a minnesota hospital after a newborn baby was brought to the wrong room and breast-fed by the wrong mother. the newborn son will have to be tested every month. officials there say someone on staff failed to follow normal safety procedures. a letter carrier in texas is recovering this morning from a lee myrrh attack. she was delivering the mail when a lee myrrh jumped into her vehicle and began biting her arm and hand. it belongs to a neighbor on her route. they are looking into possible charges now. what are the chances? >> for her, 100%.

there's a big stink in malibu beach over what to do with a dead 41-foot whale. it washed on shore this week. officials believe it was killed by a boat strike. officials say it's not their responsibility to remove the carcus. take a look at the official 2012 white house holiday card. it features their dog bo knee deep in snow e. it was drawn by an iowa artist. she had low expectations and admits it was a surreal moment when the white house called to tell her michelle obama had selected her piece as the winner. coming up, the bionic actor. we have a young man here with his luke skywalker hand and an update on his recovery from a horrific accident onset. plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough.

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looking at new york city this morning. the sun starting to rise. a little clouds there. but happy friday, everyone. our next guest suffered a serious accident on a movie set a year ago. he lost four fingers, which were severely burned and had to be amputated. he thought his career was over. he finished a new movie called "the rise of the zombies." he's about to receive a prosthesis. he will be able to allow his fingers to move with a slight flex of his palm.

welcome to both of you. that's your career. almost a year ago, you burned these four fingers. they used the wrong materials and it was burning you. >> yeah. it was pretty much the worst pain i could ever think of. it was like putting my hand in a deep fryer. i wouldn't want to wish this on anybody else. but it happens. >> now the journey back to getting the range of motion back in your hand. you're wearing this now. grip that bottle for me and tell me how it works. it's at flex of the palm that allows you to move the fingers and grip. >> just basically moving my pinky. >> he actually has a remnant finger on the inside. he's using very small motions with touch pads on the inside.

he can move the fingers fast, move the fingers slow. he can grip down on things harder. he uses his thumb for opposition against the three fingers. >> when a patient is learning how to grip it, how hard is it to use this technology and try to get the range of motion back? >> what i like to say is the operation should be simple, but to learn how to use it well takes awhile. we have integrated occupational therapy to train people to use them. by the time they leave our clinic, they should be well adjusted. >> the whole process of healing has been an adjustment. every day is a struggle and learning something new. i'll learn to discover something that i haven't been able to do before. and i have to figure it out. but it's working out.

>> so is it a flex of the palm? >> there's touch pads in there. the doctors when they amputated it, they were anticipating i would get a procesthesis so i a moving my pinky up and down. >> so a lot of time people would hide this. but the technology is changing so much. now they are using it, it's becoming more common. >> absolutely. why hide it? i had the option to look flesh tone. >> why didn't you take it? >> i figured it would be too obvious. also i lost it a year ago and it didn't feel like mine.

it's my new identity. it's part of who i am. it just seems odd to me. >> how does it change your career or your goals or doesn't it have an impact on you? >> it's definitely had an impact. and when it first happened, before i realized i was visited by a former patient and told me that life goes on and everything is okay. >> we're watch a movie you're in. is that in there? >> that was a pro toe type. they destroyed that a number of times. >> after it was down, it was all bent. the fingers were all crooked. it was a lot of fun. >> i was told it might be on camera a little bit. but then they are throwing it it across the room. >> tell me a little bit about the applications for this.

what other extremities? how common can this be and achievable and attainable for people? >>. so we just specialized in this. this is breakthrough technology. this is very new stuff, but it is available. this is the type of prosthesis we're fitting on a daily basis. it is certainly appropriate for anyone who has an amputation. we have solutions from the fingertip all the way up to the shoulder. it just depend on what the person wants to do or needs to do. john is an actor so you have to make it look good. >> it's nice to meet you. best of luck to you. thanks for telling your story and showing us this amazing technology. >> that's super cool. 54 minutes past the hour. the next best advice comes from tom lewis. then e we hand it off to

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today we ask former congressman tom lewis about the best advice he's ever received. take a look. >> the best advice i ever received came from my mother. she always said be particular,

be watchful, be mindful. >> that's a big particular. love that. that's "early start" for today. happy friday. >> "starting point" with soledad o'brien is next. stay with us. good morning. our starting point this morning, a powerful earthquake strikes off the coast of japan near the same area that was destroyed by the tsunami last year. i'll take you there live in a few moments. plus president obama and john boehner shutting out the other lawmakers because they are trying to reach a deal. the jobs report comes out in two hours. it gives us a look at the economic recovery, but how accurate will the numbers be in the wake of hurricane sandy? the nfl commissioner is co